Armored vehicle used to arrest suspect charged with killing man found in trunk of burning car

Published 7:37 pm Monday, March 15, 2021

Authorities in Kentucky used armored vehicles and riot shields while arresting a suspect accused of shooting a man whose body was found inside the trunk of a burning car, news outlets reported Monday.

Cecil T. Russell, 36, was taken into custody without incident Wednesday at a home in Lexington and charged with murder and evidence tampering in the death of Lazarus Parker, The Herald-Leader reported, citing Kentucky State Police and the Lexington Police.

The 38-year-old’s body was discovered Feb. 9 with gunshot wounds inside a burning vehicle that was parked in a Bourbon County barn, according to the coroner.

Arrest warrants alleged Russell shot and killed Parker following an argument at a Lexington home. Russell was accused of then disposing of the body in Bourbon County. Police did not comment further on the circumstances surrounding the argument or say how the men knew each other.

Russell remained in jail Monday at the Lexington-Fayette County Detention Center on $1 million bond, according to court records.

He was set to appear at a preliminary hearing Tuesday, news outlets reported. It was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney who could comment for him.